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Organisers of the global indoor fitness competition Hyrox have apologised and pledged immediate rule changes after an Australian athlete was allowed to finish and win an event in Beijing despite soiling herself mid-race.
Footage of world record holder Joanna Wietrzyk competing on Saturday showed her continuing through demanding exercises and using communal equipment, with faecal matter visibly running down her legs. The incident went viral on social media and triggered debate about Hyrox’s health and safety standards, and athlete responsibility.
Hyrox, an increasingly popular fitness competition launched in Germany in 2017, is now held in locations across the world. It debuted in mainland China in late 2024.
In each race, participants alternate between running a kilometre and doing fitness exercises at shared high-intensity stations – including a rowing machine, sled pushes, burpee jumps, medicine ball throws and lunges while carrying a sandbag.
Prior to the weekend’s incident, official event rules already penalised athletes for minor infractions such as littering on the course, or spitting or clearing their nose on the floor. It contained no immediate protocol for faecal matter.
Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste apologised in a statement on Instagram to everyone affected “directly or indirectly” by the incident. “Hyrox made a mistake by not reacting immediately during the race. In the end it is my job to foresee these potential incidents – and I did not,” Fürste said.
He added that Hyrox has made “rulebook changes immediately”.
“As of this moment, there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from happening again.”
In statements released by Hyrox China and Hyrox World, organisers confirmed that affected lanes were isolated for deep cleaning overnight, contaminated equipment was removed and venue carpet was replaced overnight before competition resumed the following day.
“After the incident, the organising committee immediately closed off and isolated the affected area and track, and completed comprehensive disinfection,” Hyrox China organisers said.
Hyrox World said that it has clear bio-contaminant and medical procedures in place: “Protocols designed for elite competition and mass participation became blurred, creating ambiguity in how they were applied and understood.”
Wietrzyk, the world record holder in the Hyrox women’s solo event, was invited to compete at the Beijing event. She posted and then deleted a selfie to her Instagram story from what appeared to be a hospital bed, with the text: “Go hard or go home … a win is a win. In all seriousness, thank you for all the support. I’ll be back soon x.”
It is not uncommon for athletes to soil themselves while competing in high endurance sports, particularly marathons. British athlete Paula Radcliffe won the 2005 London marathon after suffering from “runner’s diarrhoea” and having to stop at the 22-mile mark to relieve herself, in full view of cameras.
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Social media users and other athletes at the event questioned the response and why Wietrzyk was allowed to finish the race, while impacting the health and safety of fellow competitors.
Joe Ho, a male competitor in Beijing, said that fellow athletes — who generally pay a fee to take part in Hyrox races — had been failed.
“For people who were exposed to that situation, there could be genuine physical and psychological consequences,” Ho wrote in an Instagram post.
“I paid Hyrox to provide a professionally organised and safe event. So while I understand the athlete perspective, ultimately my contract and expectation is with Hyrox.
“If the organisation accepts that something went wrong, why not offer affected participants refunds, credits, or some meaningful form of compensation?”
Following online vitriol directed at Wietrzyk after her identity was shared, organisers warned that anyone sending abuse or threats of violence towards the athlete would be banned from all future events.
Guardian Australia reached out to Wietrzyk and Hyrox for comment.
